DIE MITTELMEER-MONOLOGE

In the organizer's words:

DIE MITTELMEER-MONOLOGE - Documentary theater by Micheal Ruf

About people who take the risky route across the Mediterranean in the hope of finding safety in Europe.

Supertitles in Arabic, English and French

The Mediterranean Monologues are documentary theater. Author Michael Ruf(Wort und Herzschlag) conducts interviews that last several hours, sometimes several days. These interviews are then simply shortened and condensed. Nothing is invented and the linguistic expression is retained. Verbatim, literal theater. Inspired by these interviews, Michael Ruf also wrote song lyrics, which were then translated into music in collaboration with composers. This resulted in "Tons of Water" (composition: Marlène Colle), "We fall into silence" (composition: Torsten Knoll) and "The Memories always return" (composition: Peer Kleinschmidt). These songs have been an integral part of the Mediterranean Monologues since December 2021.

The Mediterranean Monologues tell of people who take the risky route across the Mediterranean in the hope of being able to live in safety in Europe - of Libyan coastguards, Italian sea rescue services and German authorities who prevent this and of activists who do something to stop people dying in the Mediterranean. As volunteers on the Alarmphone, these activists convince the coastguards to rescue people in distress at sea or learn how to save people from drowning on the Seawatch - in short, they do what is actually the most natural thing in the world, but which is anything but natural in 2024: saving human lives!

It is as if the actors directly address the people in the audience, reach out to them and draw them into a world that will not leave the audience cold from now on: entangled, intertwined, connected and networked with the protagonists of the Mediterranean monologues, the audience eagerly follows the paths of the stories told. When the actors whisper, remain silent, cautiously throw a word into the room, then occasionally become louder, raise their voices demanding or angrily, once even almost shouting, the sounds do not reach the audience in an abstract way, then the audience is struck and touched directly and in all their physicality by what is said. When the actress looks at the audience, they are drawn into the event, which they know and believe took place in reality.

Each performance will be followed by an audience discussion with activists

On 16.5. with:

Tareq Alaows, refugee policy spokesperson for PRO ASYL and consultant for campaigns and networking. He represents Pro Asyl in public and in refugee policy alliances. He is also involved with the Berlin Refugee Council and is committed to the political participation of people with a history of flight and migration.

And Lukas Kaldenhoff, who has been active with SOS Humanity since 2022 and has been involved in civilian sea rescue on a voluntary basis for several years. As communications coordinator, he is regularly deployed on the Humanity 1 in the central Mediterranean. On board, he is part of the operational command and coordinates a team that is primarily responsible for media relations and documenting the mission and observed human rights violations.

Price information:

If available: With Berlin-Pass (box office): 3,00 € For refugees (box office): 0,00 €